The Anatase Phase of Nanotopography Titania with Higher Roughness Has Better Biocompatibility in Osteoblast Cell Morphology and Proliferation

Previous studies have concluded that surface-modified titanium oxide (titania, TiO 2 ) surface properties promote osteoblast cell morphology and proliferation. To screen a suitable structured titania coating with the best biocompatibility to be used in dental implants, five titania films (two amorphous, one rutile, and two anatases) with different surfaces were successfully synthesized on polished titanium by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. We applied atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to depict the formulations. Furthermore, MC3T3-E1, the mouse osteoblast precursor cell, was used to assess cell proliferation and observe morphologic changes at the film surface. The data indicated that the overall number of MC3T3-E1 cells on anatase films was significantly higher as compared with cells on rutile and amorphous films. Meanwhile, the actin filaments of the cells grown on the anatase phase films were well defined and fully spread. In addition, the film with higher roughness had enhanced biocompatibility than that with lower roughness. The results showed that the crystal phase and titania coated roughness had a greater influence on the biocompatibility of nanostructured titania film. The higher the roughness of the anatase phase was, the better bioactivity for the morphology and proliferation of osteoblast. This is a good surface-modified biological material and may have a good application prospect in dental implants.